Owner of 'monstrosity house' facing more legal action

By John S. Marshall, jmarshall@hcnonline.com

Updated
9:38 am CST, Monday, January 15, 2018

The Woodlands Township is suing Alexandro Rovirosa Martinez and Tanya Marquez Gutierrez, owners of a massive three-story, 18,000 square-foot home that spans nearly three acres in the GroganÂs Point neighborhood, over claims they've been violating the townshipÂs covenants. less

The Woodlands Township is suing Alexandro Rovirosa Martinez and Tanya Marquez Gutierrez, owners of a massive three-story, 18,000 square-foot home that spans nearly three acres in the GroganÂs Point ... more

Photo: Jason Fochtman, Staff Photographer

Photo: Jason Fochtman, Staff Photographer

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The Woodlands Township is suing Alexandro Rovirosa Martinez and Tanya Marquez Gutierrez, owners of a massive three-story, 18,000 square-foot home that spans nearly three acres in the GroganÂs Point neighborhood, over claims they've been violating the townshipÂs covenants. less

The Woodlands Township is suing Alexandro Rovirosa Martinez and Tanya Marquez Gutierrez, owners of a massive three-story, 18,000 square-foot home that spans nearly three acres in the GroganÂs Point ... more

Photo: Jason Fochtman, Staff Photographer

Owner of 'monstrosity house' facing more legal action

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The owner of a massive house in the Grogan's Point neighborhood of The Woodlands who's being sued by The Woodlands Township over seemingly never-ending work on the house is facing more legal troubles, but this time over landscaping and drainage issues.

Alexandro Rovirosa, the owner of the 18,000 square-foot home on Longspur Drive, did not show up for a Development Standards Committee meeting Wednesday night, Jan. 11, where his house, referred to by neighbors as a "monstrosity," a "behemoth" and other unflattering terms, was once again the topic of discussion and debate. But Rovirosa's attorney, Scott Kidd, did attend the meeting, and he was given an earful by the attorney who represents The Woodlands Township in legal matters, Bret Strong.

After a detailed discussion of the number and types of trees Rovirosa wants to plant on the nearly 3 acres that surround the multi-million dollar home, the size of planters the trees would be planted in, drainage concerns and other matters, Strong reminded Kidd of the "long and sordid" history of the home.

Strong was referring to complaints by neighbors during four years of construction work on the home and of a pending lawsuit against Rovirosa. In that suit filed in October, the township claims that Rovirosa-who is named in the suit as Rovirosa Martinez-and Tanya Marquez Gutierrez, have been continuously" violating the township's covenants. The township is seeking between $200,000 and $1 million over the matter. With a deadline of Jan. 16 to respond the lawsuit, by the time the DSC met Wednesday evening Rovirosa, or his attorney, had not responded to the suit. During the meeting Strong cited a long list of ongoing "legal deficiencies" at the home, including issues with drainage from its surrounding property, its pool, outdoor kitchen, lighting and other matters.

"There are a lots of things that need done to finish this job and they're just not finished yet," Strong told Kidd.

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TOWNSHIP ATTORNEY THREATENS MORE LEGAL ACTION

Strong also threatened additional legal action as he reminded Kidd of the "concern and exasperation" shared by members of the DSC, neighbors and township officials over the ongoing work.

"We have a legal action with an answer due next week," Strong said. "If we don't see those things resolved in the coming days, then we're going to have proceed forward with legal action to ask a court to either hire us to do it or order that it be done."

Kidd blamed some of the most recent delays on a contractor taking vacation during the holidays. Kidd also tried to assure the committee that his client wanted to get the work finished.

"They are actively working on the permits and Mr. Rovirosa and his family want to get in there as soon as possible." Kidd said.

Outside the meeting, Kidd declined further comment.

Although Rovirosa has long appeared to be a bit of mystery man to residents of the neighborhood, county records show he owns another property in The Woodlands. He also spends at least part of his time working in The Woodlands, where he's listed as the director of Roma Energy Holdings LLC, an international oil and gas company with corporate offices on the top floor of 24 Waterway Ave. in The Woodlands.

A business partner with Rovirosa, Tom Sampson, has said that Rovirosa usually works out of the company's offices in Villahermosa, Mexico, but returns to The Woodlands on weekends.

DSC REJECTS LANDSCAPING, DRAINAGE PLAN

As the committee wrapped up discussion on the matter, Strong said the township would send a list of items to Kidd that still needed to be addressed. The DSC then voted unanimously on a motion put forward by new committee member John Anthony Brown, who is also a member of the township's board of directors, to deny the landscaping and drainage plan submitted by Rovirosa.

Brown and fellow board member Brian Boniface were named to the DSC last month. Their placement on the committee comes in response to concerns by Board of Directors Chairman Gordy Bunch and others over the DSC's handling of the controversial house and other issues.

BROWN: 'RESIDENTS DESERVE SOME CLOSURE'

After the meeting, Brown noted the length of time the house has been a source of ongoing complaints and a topic of DSC discussion.

"I think the project on Longspur is the result of a long project that probably took too long and the fact that I think the residents deserve some closure," Brown said. "So I think this is why we're at the this point in this project, of moving this to get closure, is mainly for the residents."

DSC APPROVES MONOPINE CELL TOWER, WITH CONDITIONS

In another matter, the DSC voted unanimously to approve a 100-foot monopine cell phone tower, which is built to appear to be a pine tree, at the intersection of Woodlands Parkway and Lake Woodlands Drive. But the approval came with the stipulation that the cell phone company that wants to erect the tower, New Jersey-based Diamond Communications, would have to replace the estimated five trees that would be cut down to erect the tower.

At the start of the discussion, a DSC staff member reported four "concerns" have been received from the township over the tower. Two or three people attending the meeting, apparently opposed to the tower, questioned Diamond Communications representative Jeremy Baldwin over the tower, with one person, who did not identify herself, complaining the tower was "Literally in our backyard."

Another neighbor, also unidentified, asked about possible radiation from the tower. That person was assured there were no "perceived issues" of radiation from the towers.

Those residents left before the DSC meeting concluded and no one addressed the committee about the tower during the public comment period.

The DSC's is scheduled to meet again on Jan. 17. Wednesday's meeting came after its first meeting of the year was pushed back because of a lack of a quorum.